A bold new era in Jamaican sport will unfold this week as the National Tackle Football Association (NTFA) officially launches, culminating with the historic All Jamaica Gridiron Bowl on Saturday, April 19 at Ashenheim Stadium, Jamaica College. The week-long initiative represents more than just the introduction of a new sport to the island—it is a strategic push to transform lives, open scholarship pathways, and establish Jamaica as a serious player in the multi-billion-dollar world of American football.
The idea behind the NTFA has been decades in the making. Founder Jerome Harriott, a former player and coach with deep ties to US football at both the high school and collegiate levels, traces the vision back to his family’s move to the United States in 1977. By 1979, Harriott had taken to the sport himself, and over time, saw its potential not just as a game, but as a vehicle for social mobility—especially for Jamaican youth.
“I started noticing that a lot of the inner-city kids who migrated to places like Broward County, Florida, were gravitating toward American football instead of soccer,” Harriott explained. “They saw it as a more structured, disciplined path. And the opportunities—scholarships, coaching, exposure—were greater.”
During his coaching career between 2000 and 2016, Harriott helped over 100 Jamaican-born athletes earn full scholarships to US universities through football. This track record planted the seed for replicating the model back home. In 2016, after years of working with elite US development programmes like All American Games, he returned to Jamaica and began laying the groundwork for what would become the NTFA.
Initial pilot programmes began with flag football in 2019, but quickly transitioned to tackle football after Harriott observed how physically the Jamaican athletes approached the sport. “I remember thinking, these guys play association football rougher than they play American football in the States,” he recalled. “So we introduced tackle, and it immediately caught on.”
The NTFA’s progress was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a full shutdown just weeks after its first championship game in February 2020. The programme resumed in 2022 with limited participation, but with renewed determination. Now, in 2025, the NTFA is entering a new phase, fully equipped, internationally endorsed, and strategically aligned with top-tier partners.
The All Jamaica Gridiron Bowl will serve as the NTFA’s grand unveiling. The showcase game will feature 80 of Jamaica’s top players—many of them aged 18 to 21, with a few highly talented 17-year-olds invited to play up based on their experience in the NTFA system. The players will be divided into two teams—Team Blue and Team Grey—following a formal draft on Friday, April 18 at the Jamaica College Auditorium.
But the bowl game is only the final chapter of an action-packed week designed to expose athletes to elite coaching, recruitment opportunities, and professional standards. Full-contact training begins on April 15 at UWI Mona Bowl, followed by an evaluation session at Brooks Park in Mandeville on April 17. According to Harriott, the format is intentional: “We’re doing two practices and one walkthrough, just like you would for a college bowl week or an NFL combine. Everything’s being filmed, everything is being evaluated.”
The teams will be coached by two respected figures in US football: Mark James, former head coach at Virginia Union University, and David “Hoss" Johnson, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player and the head of international development group SCORE International. Their presence underscores the NTFA’s primary objective—exposure. “These coaches are deeply connected to NCAA programmes and even some pro leagues in Europe and the US,” Harriott said. “We’re not just showcasing talent; we’re creating real career pathways.”
Harriott revealed that at least one player, Sheldon Clarke, is already being monitored for potential inclusion in the NFL International Player Pathway Programme (IPP), with NFL representative Mark Dulgerian expected to assess Clarke and other candidates during the week.
Beyond scholarships and pro contracts, the NTFA is also positioning American football as a long-term driver of sports tourism. According to projections, football-related events could bring 10,000 to 15,000 visitors to the island annually, creating ripple effects for Jamaica’s hospitality and retail sectors. Collaborations with local universities—including UWI, UTech, G.C. Foster College, and Mico—are also in motion to support the sport’s development from a coaching, sports science, and academic perspective.
“This is legacy work,” said Harriott. “We’ve already shown what we can do in track and field. Now we’re showing that we can play—and win—on the gridiron too.”
The All Jamaica Gridiron Bowl is expected to attract between 2,500 and 3,000 spectators in its debut year, with ambitions to scale up significantly in coming seasons. Discussions are underway with local broadcasters and streaming platforms to provide live coverage of the game, and Harriott has issued an open invitation to media houses and corporate sponsors to get involved.
With endorsement from Jamaican-born NFL wide receiver Joshua Palmer, and backing from international partners like SCORE International and St. Thomas Aquinas (a top US high school football programme), the NTFA is poised to offer more than just a one-off spectacle. It is building a foundation for sustained growth, athlete empowerment, and national pride.
The kickoff on Saturday, April 19 at 5:30 p.m. will signal more than the start of a game. It will mark the birth of Jamaica’s gridiron future.
Main picture caption: Jerome Harriott, Head Coach of the MC Raiders, proudly presented the SSGL Gridiron National Championship Trophy to Murphy Greg, Chairman of the Munro College Board of Governors and Aubyn Henry, NTFA Board Member.